A serious look at the DC Universe that doesn't take itself too seriously

Sunday, September 26, 2010

JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #9

“Just Stopping By”

Writer: Judd Winick

Penciller: Fernando Dagnino

Inker: Raul Fernandez

Editor: Rex Ogle & Brian Cunningham

Synopsis

Maxwell Lord incapacitates Fire with his mental powers as the rest of the J.L.I. remains unaware of his presence at the Germany embassy. After Skeets learns that Lord is hiding right under their noses, Max sends Fire after her teammates. White Captain Atom restrains and shuts down Fire, Booster Gold confronts Max, asking his former friend what this is all about. Max briefly takes control of Booster and escapes. Later, Lord enlists the aid of Magog to track down and kill Captain Atom for Checkmate…

This page is a brief recap of the events that have transpired in Justice League: Generation Lost #1-8.

Page 2: Maxwell Lord and Fire last appeared in Justice League: Generation Lost #8.

Page 4: One of the last times we saw Max use his mind control power, back in Justice League: Generation Lost #4, he killed the man. The guy was left looking like a Black Lantern. Has Max since rectified this little problem? And, if so, when?

Page 5: “This isn’t you just screwing with my head this time.” When Fire was at the Checkmate Castle in Justice League: Generation Lost #3, she attacked someone whom she thought was Max. It turned out that Max was just messing with her mind, and she inadvertently injured a Checkmate agent.

“Daddy’s working.” Max got a whole lot creepier just now…

Page 6: “You think this is what I want for my life? Looking like this?” In Justice League: Generation Lost #6, Captain Atom alludes to the fact that he is becoming something not quite human. Can he no longer assume human form and is stuck as Captain Atom all of the time?

Page 8: Rocket Red and Skeets last appeared in Justice League: Generation Lost #8.

Page 11: “Chyort!” I am going to assume that this is some sort of Russian expletive, but I can’t be certain, given that I don’t even remotely speak Russian.

Page 13: “Fire’s with me!” That’s right; Captain Atom knows where it’s at. If you were a super-hero, who do you want to protect? The goofy Russian guy? The sarcastic flying robot? Or the hot Brazilian chick who’s on fire? Yeah, I thought so…

Page 14: “It’s not your home turf! I used to hang my hat here too!” Really? How often did the J.L.I. use the Germany embassy? I don’t recall them EVER using the Germany embassy, to be honest. In fact, I think the team only went to Germany once; at the end of Justice League International #8, Oberon informs them that a band of super-powered lunatics was attacking Bonn. The team’s mission was briefly seen and mentioned in Millennium #1, and then never talked about again.

“Home turf”? Scoff. I don’t think so…

Page 16: “No one’s going to die.” Captain Atom has obviously been influenced by his trip to the future as seen in Justice League: Generation Lost #6, in which he learns that most of Earth’s heroes are dead.

“Go find some idiotic moustache-twirling black hat tying a chick to rail road tracks for crap like that! Or, y’know, the Ultra-Humanite!” The Ultra-Humanite is a criminal genius who has survived over the decades by having his brain transplanted into a succession of bides, the latest being that of a mutant albino ape. Cool stuff.

Page 18: “Leave her alone, you bastard!” Enough with the name-calling Ice.

“Nobody dies.” Captain Atom’s goal is to prevent the apocalyptic future he witnessed from coming true by any means necessary. Does this mean that he’ll sacrifice himself, if push comes to shove?

Page 19: Was Max injured when Captain Atom incapacitated Fire? Is that why he staggered on page 17, and looks a little shaky here?

Page 20: So why wouldn’t Booster and the others just use the teleport tube to follow Max? Is he masking the signal in such a way that they can’t track him down?

Page 22: Magog last appeared in Justice League: Generation Lost #2.

“Do you want to go kill Captain Atom for us?” In Brightest Day #7 and Justice League: Generation Lost #7, Max learned that Magog will plunge the world into war, and that he has been returned to life to stop the war before it starts.

Sounds a lot like “save the cheerleader, save the world.” You remember that show, don’t you?

Anyway, is Max fulfilling this mission by sending Magog after Captain Atom? Or is he just ensuring that the war will come to pass? Has Max gone off the reservation and is opening going against the White Entity?